Dampening apparatus.



G. H. BISHOP@ DAMPBNING APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION FILED DBO. 5, 1910. 1,030,380, Patented June 25,1912.

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GEORGE II. BISHOP, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DAMPENING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedJ une 25, 1912.

Application filed December 5, 1910. Serial No. 595,546.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE H. Bisiior, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Dampening Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention lrelates to the art of laundering.

Before washed articles are to be ironed it is necessary to dampen them, and it is desirable to place the dampened articles under pressure in order that the moisture may become uniformly distributed throughout the mass of clothing.

It is the object of this invention to provide simple, convenient and expeditious means for placing dampened laundry articles under pressure.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a dainpening press forming one portion of an apparatus em bodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view, with portions broken away, of a container constituting the other portion of the apparatus. Fig. 3 is a view of the upper portion of the press, illustrating the side opposite to that shown in Fig. 1. Fig. t is a detail view illustrating a means for locking the cover of said container. Fig. 5 is a sectional detail view showing one of the 4anti-friction rollers 33.

rlhe present embodiment of the invention comprises a vpress having a base l, and an upwardly extending standard 2 upon the rear portion of said base, said standard having a forwardly extending upper portion or head 3. At the forward end of the head 3 are located two vertically alined bearings 4 in which is slidably mounted a spindle 5 having a pressure plate 6 attached to its lower end. The spindle 5 is provided with rack teeth 7 that mesh with a pinion 8 fixed upon a shaft 9 which is rotatably supported in the head 3. Connected to one end of said shaft is suitable means for turning it, as,.for example, a plurality of radiating handles 10 fixed to said shaft 9. Mea-ns are preferably provided for counterbalancing the weight of the spindle 5, which means, in the present embodiment, consists of a winding drum 11 fixed to one end of the shaft 9, a counterbalance weight 12, and a flexible connection 13 extending between and attached at its ends to said winding drum and said weight, and running intermediate its ends over a guide sheave 14.

For convenience in moving the articles to be pressed to and away from the press, I preferably provide a container mounted upon casters or the like, the container being adapted to be positioned beneath the pressure plate 6. In the present embodiment the container comprises a box consisting of four vertical sides 15, a bottom 16,

Acasters 17, and a bottom 18 yieldingly supported within the box upon relatively stiff coiled springs 19 supported upon the bot tom 16 and arranged beneath the corners of the bottom 18, only two of said springs being shown in the drawings. 2O is a cover adapted for insertion into the box to rest upon the articles to be dampened and to transmit to said articles the pressure exerted by the operator upon the spindle 5. In oider to lock the cover 2O in position to hold the articles under pressure, I provide means comprising a rack 21, formed in this instance of sheet metal, the teeth of the rack being formed by cutting openings 22 in the sheet metal. Two racks are provided in diagonally opposite corners of the box, said racks extending vertically of the box and diagonally across their respective corners. Fach rack is provided with vertical attaching flanges 23 by means of which the rack may be fastened to the box. Preferably the space behind the rack is closed at the top by a horizontally bent portion 2st of the sheet metal.

Upon'the upper side of the cover 2O adjacent to the racks 21 are mounted latches arranged automatically to engage with said racks. In this instance, each latch comprises a dog 25 having an inclined ratchet tooth adapted to enter the spaces 22, the inclination of the tooth being such that the tooth will be forced inwardly when downward pressure is applied to it. The tooth 25 is pivoted at its rear or inner end to an arm 26 pivoted at 27 upon a bracket or housing 28 fixed to the top of the cover 20. Fixed to the arm 26 is a latch-Operating handle 29. I dispense with a spring for holding the dog 25 in engagement with the rack by making the handle 29 of sufficient weight to normally hold said dog in locking engagement. The portion 30 of the bracket 28 confines the dog 25 against upward displacement when downward pressure is exerted upon the cover 20 by the press.

Vare clear of the floor.

In order that the pressure placed upon the contents of -the box shall not be borne by the casters 17, I provide upon the base 1 a platform 31 supported at such height that when the bottm 16 of the box rests upon the platform the casters or rollers 17 To facilitate the placing of the box upon the platform 31 the front end of said platform is curved downwardly as at 32 and is provided with antifriction rollers 33.

34 is a positioning stop xed to the standard 2. Said stop consists of the back member 34a and the side guides 34h.

In use, the articles of clothing or the like to be dampened are placed in the box, a suitable amount of moisture being supplied to the articles in any desired way. When the box is filled to the desired extent, the cover 2O is placed therein, and the box rolled to the press and pushed onto the platform 3l. The pressure plate 6 is then lowered onto and pressed against the cover 20 by rotat-ing the handles 10. As the cover 20 descends in the box the dogs 25 click over the teeth formed by the spaces 22 and hold the cover against upward movement. lVhen suficient pressure has been applied to the articles in the box, the latter is removed from the press. In practice, the goods may be moistened and compressed previous to closing the laundry for the day, the pressure to which the goods are subjected over night causing the moisture to become distributed uniformly through the mass of articles.

The spring-supported bottom 18 provides a constant and uniform pressure after the box is removed from the press, said bottom taking up any contraction that may occur in themass of articles after the initial pressure is placed thereon.

'Ihe cover 20 may be removed from the box by merely taking hold of the handles 29 and liftingthe cover off, the raising of the handles serving to withdraw the dogs 25 from the locking racks.

I claim as my invention:

l. A dampening apparatus comprising a base; a standard; a spindle supported by said standard for vertical movement; a

shaft rotatably mounted in said standard and geared to said spindle; means for rotating said shaft; a platform on said base; a wheeled container, said platform being adapted to support said container directly beneath said spindle with the wheels of the container clear of the floor; and a cover for said container arranged to receive the pressure of said spindle and distribute the pressure to the contents of the container.

2. A dampening apparatus comprising a base; 'a standard rising from the rear portion of said base; a platform mounted upon said base forwardly of the standard; positioning stop means on said standard rearwardly of said platform, said stop means 'comprising a back member and side guides;

and pressure-applying means carried by said standard directly above said platform.

3. In an apparatus for dampening clothes a container adapted to receive clothes in a dampened condition; means including a vertically movable spindle positioned directly above the container for applying pressure to the clothes therein; a member arranged to rest upon the clothes and adapted to be engaged by the lower end of said spindle, said member act-ing to distribute the presss-ure of said spindle to the clothes; and follow-up locking means arranged to hold said member in the lowest position to which it has been moved by said spindle.

t. In an apparatus for dampening clothes; a supporting platform sloping downwardly at its forward portion; a wheeled container adapted to be guided upwardly by said sloping portion on to said platform with the wheels of the container clear of the floor; means positioned directly above said platform for applying pressure to the contents of said container; and means arranged to guide said container into proper position beneath said pressure-applying means and acting as a stop for the container.

In testimony whereof I hereby affix my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

G EORGE H. BISHOP.

lVitnesses FREDK. N. BALL, MARGARET GREWATCH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

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